Curb Appeal Made Simple -- or Complicated!

Here's the complicated way to create curb appeal:

I love my little cottage-style house in Burlington, VT. One of the reasons we left Grand Isle was the size of the property we had to take care of. We had 1.5 acres in Grand Isle and now .09 acres in Burlington. Not a misprint. It is really small.

I wanted to have as many flowers as I could on this property and make a good first impression to people visiting. First, we cut down the huge crabapple in the front yard that hid the beautiful lines of the house. ( I hated rolling around on the apples) Then all the scrubby bushes that hid the house were dug out. We rototilled all the grass and removed the turf. Then we dumped compost onto the front yard. A contractor installed a white picket fence and an arbor to walk through.

Then I planted the heck out of the yard.

Pathways meander through the small front yard and pass an herb garden. The path has creeping thyme growing between each bluestone step. Roses climb over the arbor and along the picket fence. there is a butterfly garden with bee balm, butterfly bush, and milk weed. Close to the house we planted a tree hydrangea, a bush hydrangea, and a variety of other interesting shrubs.

How did I do this on a budget? I asked everyone I knew to give me plants. Gardeners are happy to share and they always have to split their plants. I received an enormous number from my friend Marcia who lives in Jericho, VT. She has an acre of gardens and has many unusual species. She amazes me -- she knows the Latin names of flowers as well as the common names. She also knows to plant in odd numbers of three or more. So she gave me three of everything. I also bought flowers at Lowe's. The prices are low (no pun intended!) and easy on the budget.

Plant close together the first year as the garden will look full. You can share with others at year three. That's what I am doing now.

That is the complicated version of curb appeal.

The simple version? Put pots of geraniums lining either side of your walk way and more pots of annuals going up the stairs to the front door. Add hanging pots of annuals -- as big and full as you can find them -- from hooks by the front door. On either side of the front steps, plant some big, showy annuals. And then as soon as chrysanthemums are in the store, substitute the biggest ones you can find. If the front yard is large, put a nice chair under a tree and place a little table next to it. You can find these at a yard sale. Set this up as a little reading area.

The flowers will lead the buyer to the door and the chair and table under a tree will make them feel this is home. Think flowers, flowers, flowers! There can never be too many flowers!

Easy version or complicated? You decide!